Hello Sparkler, You're doing the work. You're showing up. You're putting things out there. You're building something you believe in. And some days it feels like absolutely nobody is watching. I know that feeling. Intimately. So when I found out that Olivia Dean performed to four people in 2023, and then won a Grammy in 2026, I needed to understand how. Not the luck. Not the breaks. The actual mechanics of how someone goes from an empty room to the most commercially coveted artist in Britain...
29 days ago • 1 min read
Hello Sparkler, Ever waited to feel ready? Waited for someone to finally notice how brilliant you are? Built your entire sense of worth on what other people think of you? Yeah. Me too. So I did something slightly unhinged this week. I asked an AI to tell me the harsh truths that younger Nishma desperately needed to hear. Not the motivational poster version. The actual uncomfortable, slightly stinging, "oh god is that true about me?" version. And wow... it delivered. Some of it made me wince....
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Dear Sparkler, Quick question. Have you ever bought a training course at 11pm on a Tuesday because you were feeling wobbly about whether you actually know what you're doing? Yeah. Me too. Thousands of pounds worth, actually. I wrote about it this week on Substack and it's probably the most honest thing I've put out there in a while. The confession of a woman who spent 30 years building brands for the biggest companies in the world, then walked away from Google and immediately forgot how to...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Sparkler, On Tuesday morning, at our Glittersphere Spotlight Live event, Dr Anne-Laure Le Cunff, author of Tiny Experiments and the founder of Ness Labs, said something that stopped me: "Become a self-anthropologist." She was talking about how we measure whether something's working. We obsess over metrics - the views, the likes, the revenue, the outcomes. But we forget to ask: how did it actually feel while I was doing it? We don't stop to study how we respond to different tasks or...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Three free things to make Monday suck less. Dear Sparkler, Tomorrow, millions of people drag themselves back to work. Inbox exploding. "Circling back" emails hunting you down. Sad salads. A gym membership you'll abandon by February. Performing "new year new me" energy you absolutely do not feel. January is a scam. It's the Monday of months. So here's a different idea - and three free things to help.FREE THING #1: The Fuck-It List Essay What if instead of another list of things you SHOULD do,...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Stop. Put down the resolution list. Do this instead. Dear Sparkler,Is it Tuesday? Thursday? Does time even exist anymore? Welcome to Betwixtmas: that strange purgatory where nobody knows what day it is, half your inbox is out-of-office replies, and the other half is people trying to sell you a "new year, new you" transformation. Your brain is doing that thing. You know the one. It's either screaming "GET BACK TO NORMAL" or "TIME FOR 47 LIFE-CHANGING RESOLUTIONS." Both responses are wrong....
4 months ago • 4 min read
I've spent years watching women either break through or stay stuck. The difference? Not what you'd expect. Step away from the sherry for this one. Hello Sparkler, 21st December. Shortest day of the year. You're knackered. I know you are. I am too. Your brain currently looks something like this: Presents. Did I get something for the neighbours? Wine. We need more wine. That email I still haven't replied to. What time is everyone arriving? Where's the Sellotape? Did I actually buy stuffing or...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Pay negotiation. This isn't entitlement. It's maths. I learned this the hard way. Hey Sparklers, Quick one for you because it's that time of year. And if you're reading this thinking 'my review isn't until January' - that's exactly why you need to read this NOW. End of year reviews. Conversations about compensation. The bit where you sit across from your manager and either advocate for yourself or… don't. I've watched too many smart women fumble this moment (me included). They walk in...
4 months ago • 1 min read
On being scared - and doing it anyway. Dear Sparkler, I did the thing. Yesterday I launched my YouTube Channel. I've wanted to be a YouTuber for years. YEARS! And I kept waiting. For the right time. The right equipment. The right hair day. The right level of confidence. Spoiler: none of those things arrived. So I said fuck it. I turned "one day" into "day one." And now my first video is out in the world. It's not perfect. It's almost certainly the worst video I'll ever make. But it exists....
4 months ago • 2 min read